Mass dip planned for “clean” Pearl River – China Daily

Swimming in Pearl River was once a must activity in the summer for people in Guangzhou, the capital of South China’s Guangdong. But since the 1970s it has become a risky pastime because of increasing amounts of consumer and industrial waste in the water.

With clean-up efforts well under way, however, plans are being made to celebrate the better quality of the river by holding a mass “swimathon” in the summer for 10,000 people.

…According to a report in Guangzhou-based Yangcheng Evening News yesterday, the government is planning to dump a large amount of chemicals into Pearl River to sterilize the water ahead of the event.